Exclusive Interview with Dr. Alexey Vishtal from Nestle

Ahead of this year's Specialty Papers conference we spoke to Dr. Alexey Vishtal from Nestlé about his thoughts on the latest trends and innovations within the packaging industry at the moment and what he's looking forward to hearing at the conference in April.

Smithers Pira: Why do you think it is important to attend the Specialty Papers EU conference?

Alexey Vishtal: Specialty Papers EU conference is the place to be for those who want to be aware of recent trends in the manufacturing, converting and application of novel grades of paper - from special printing to packaging and construction. The event is a unique networking opportunity.

Smithers Pira: What are the latest innovations in packaging, right now?

Alexey Vishtal: I would say most of the innovations are related to functional papers i.e. papers with barrier or repellent properties. These functionalities are obtained mainly via dispersion coating techniques but not exclusively. Some of these functional papers are already commercially available.

Smithers Pira: What are the main challenges the packaging industry is facing and how do you think this conference can address them?

Alexey Vishtal: Perhaps the main challenge today relates to consumer misunderstanding about the role and impact of packaging. Packaging is often perceived as a source of pollution and not as a necessary tool to enable transportation, portioning, and transportation of a precious resource - food. At the same time there are a large amount of unsupported claims, such as ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ etc. At Nestlé we are committed to optimising of our packaging materials towards better environmental and functional performance. For example, in 2015, we avoided the use of more than 58,000 tonnes of packaging material, equivalent to a saving of CHF 95.4 million. This conference will offer a comprehensive overview of paper – a recyclable and renewable packaging material, which may address some of these aforementioned issues.

Smithers Pira: What are you most looking forward to hearing at the Specialty Papers EU conference in Cologne?

Alexey Vishtal: I am personally most interested in the market overview part, as it bring insights on how far the industry is in the development of new functional papers.

Smithers Pira: Why should delegates attend Specialty Papers EU conference and what are the top three over riding takeaways they will receive?

Alexey Vishtal: There is no other conference that brings innovation, marketing, and legislative aspects related to paper together in such a comprehensive way. The top three learnings would be the up-to-date information provided in relation to each of these three aspects.